Book Review: "Sons of Thunder" by Susan May Warren

Sophie Frangos is torn between the love of two men and the promise that binds them all together. Markos Stavros loves Sophie from afar while battling his thirst for vengeance and his hunger for honor. Dino, his quiet and intelligent brother, simply wants to forget the horror that drove them from their Greek island home to start a new life in America. One of these sons of thunder offers a future she longs for, the other the past she lost. From the sultry Chicago jazz clubs of the roaring twenties to the World War II battlefields of Europe to a final showdown in a Greek island village, they'll discover betrayal, sacrifice and finally redemption. Most of all, when Sophie is forced to make her choice, she'll learn that God honors the promises made by the Sons of Thunder.

While I'm not really a World War II fan (or even a European history fan), this book really made me enjoy learning about both. I don't know much about Greek culture so this book gave a good primer into the lifestyle. It was nice reading about them because so many other books from the same time period focus on other European immigrants. This book gave that same story of finding a new life in American but from a different culture.

I really enjoyed all the historical research that went into the book. I loved how the book takes the reader from Greece to the US and then to the war. It's not all happy and safe locales either. I really appreciate how the the grittier side of the US is shown because it's historically accurate for the time period. I loved how the jazz clubs were featured as that is a time period in history that I am deeply fond of and love reading about in book. Other Christian novels tend to shy away from the grittiness of these times but I say bring on more realism. Even though this book is Christian fiction, this story is more of an faith story than being straight up preachy. There is no big conversion scene or even character speaking outright about their faith. It's more of a redemption story that is an allegory than speaking straight forward.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, you will really enjoy this book. Warren is known for really good romantic suspense and this added ingredient of historical research really adds a nice layer to the combination. I'm not sure if the next book in the series will feature the same characters but either way I know I will be looking forward to it.

Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren is published by Summerside (2010)

This review copy was provided by LitFuse for a blog tour

Other blogs on the tour: http://www.litfusegroup.com/Blog-Tours/sons-of-thunder-by-susan-may-warren.html


CONTEST
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Be sure to check out Susan's fun contest for the book's release: Each one of us has a wealth of stories from the past – while they might not all be as sweeping and dramatic as that of Sons of Thunder’s Sofia and the Stravos brothers (swoon), your family history is a treasure nonetheless.

Well – let’s hear them! Were your great-grandparents ‘fresh off the boat’? Was your great uncle a war hero? Did your grandmother make unbelievable sacrifices to help or protect the family? Did your father harbor a family secret until his death? Are you related to someone famous? Do you have a family treasure? Whatever it is that is unique in your family history – share your story HERE! (click on the SHARE button) One grand prize winner will receive:

• Memory Prize package containing a gift certificate to create your own hard cover photo book
• 6 month membership to Netflix (to satisfy that flick fix!)
• Signed copy of Sons of Thunder!

5 runners up will also win signed copies of Sons of Thunder!

You can also be entered to win a copy of Sons of Thunder by helping us Spread the Word during the blog tour!

TWEET THIS:(must use hashtag #SonsofThunder to be entered - no limit on entries! Tweet away!)
Please RT! @susanmaywarren launches new Romantic Suspense #SonsofThunder. Share your story 2 win a fab prize pack! http://ow.ly/1digM